


Fine Line Between Heaven and Hell I Guess

by colourfulworld



Category: Hex Hall Series - Rachel Hawkins
Genre: Angels, Angst and Humor, Boarding School, Demons, F/F, F/M, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2020-02-29 09:15:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18775315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colourfulworld/pseuds/colourfulworld
Summary: Takes place after the events of the series (after Spellbound...beware of spoilers). Sophie is asked to help out a new transfer student at Hecate Hall. However, with sudden serial killings happening in London and new, intelligent demons appearing suddenly, what she thought was gonna be an uneventful year at school turns out to be an another dangerous ploy for her to deal with. Of course, all revolving around the new transfer student, who also has his own dark secrets and possibly his own personal agenda. Great.





	1. What?

“You want me to what?” I stared at my dad as if he grew two heads and suddenly started doing the chicken dance. This was the third time I asked this question. My dad ran a hand through his hair, sighing in frustration as he looked at me with a frown. We were both in the headmaster’s office at Hecate Hall (well former headmaster, considering the school or the council was still working on finding a replacement), where my dad suddenly decided to pop in for a visit, right before the school year started, to bestow some unnecessary and unwanted news.  


My dad cleared his throat. “Look, Sophia-“  


“Sophie.” I cut in.  


My dad sighed again and this time actually crossed his hands, as though that would make him seem more authoritative. Which, in my opinion, he just looked tired with my slow processing abilities. He walked over to me and placed a beige folder into my hands.  


“It’s a simple task, as I was saying before. We have a new student transferring into your year and the council requires that someone show him around, help him get settled. And by someone, they specified you.” He asserted. I snorted when he mentioned the council. Of course it was them who wanted this.  


“Look dad,” I paused since I still felt weird with calling my dad, as ‘dad’, despite us getting closer due to the whole demon fiasco last year. “I still don’t get why they need me to do this. Don’t we usually get new students each year? I don’t think we really need to roll out the red carpet for them or anything.” Especially since most of the students that come here usually are forced to come here. I was like that too, until I became friends with Jenna and started dating Archer, and began to enjoy being here.  


“This student is a special case, and requires certain accommodations. He was supposed to enrol here around the same time as you and the other students your age, but personal circumstances prevented him from doing so,” my dad explained briskly; he pointed towards the folder in my hand. “All the information you need is in this folder. Make sure you take a look before you meet him; this will be a perfect opportunity to demonstrate your capabilities as future Head of the Council.”  


“What does showing a student around school have anything to do with me becoming Head of the Council? Also, that’s still a year or two away from happening,” I asked, sitting down in one of the chairs in the office. “I mean, all I have to do is make sure people aren’t zapping humans or exposing us right?”  


“The Council decided, and I agree with this, that since you have the most experience at Hecate Hall you would be the best choice in welcoming the student.” Both of us winced when he said experience.  


I felt a flare of bitterness in my stomach. “Well, by experience, if you mean traumatic events that will scar him forever-“  


“Sophie!” my dad said sharply, before sighing and taking a seat next me. His voice softened when he spoke again. “I understand you’ve went through a lot these past years, and I do not expect you to relive or retell those memories with anyone. I thought this would be a means to help you move on from the nightmares and events and enjoy the rest of your time here.”  


I didn’t say anything; true, a lot of things happening was an understatement. Talk about killing your demon great grandmother, finding out you’re related to a group of monster hunters while being a demon yourself, and uncovering and stopping a ploy by your former headmistress and her sister to create a demon army to destroy the hunters and possibly take over the world. Of course, with suffering and losing most of your friends in the process. Did I forget to mention trekking into the underworld as well?  


Anyways, the last two to three years of my life are something I do not want to go through again. But, seeing my dad trying to help me move on did make me feel a bit better.  


I gave me dad a small smile. “Okay, okay, maybe I won’t scare him off or anything. I'll tone down the sarcasm and negative demon vibes.” My dad smiled. “That’s the spirit, Sophia.”  


“Sophie,” I corrected, while flipping open the folder to look through its contents. I stopped when I saw the boy’s profile. The picture was of a young pale faced boy, with green emerald eyes and curly blond hair. But that wasn’t what shocked me. I quickly skimmed over the profile until I found what I was looking for.  


“Dad, what the hell, he’s 12 years old!” I said standing up. “What did he do to get sent here when he’s only 12?”  


My dad laughed as he took in my reasonably shocked expression. “Didn’t you cause some mischief when you were 12 to get sent here? Hecate Hall accepts students between the ages 12 – 17. This doesn’t seem like such a big problem.”  


I gawked. “Yeah, but wouldn’t he be in first year then? Why is he in my year? There’s a four year difference right there; isn’t that a big problem?”  


“Indeed, he is young, but he is quite intelligent,” my dad explained, standing up. “He was actually considered a child prodigy around age 9. The Council decided he was too advanced to be considered a first year so he’s being put into the same year as you. I’m certain you and your peers can learn as much from him as he will from you all.”  


“Great, as if having Archer make fun at my intelligence isn't bad enough, I’ll have a 12 year old also seeing me embarrass myself with my powers,” I groaned, already imagining it. I still was working on controlling my powers, being an all powerful demon Head of the Council. But so far, with all my magic misfires, I didn’t feel all mighty and powerful, even after everything that happened. My dad chuckled; he didn’t seem to disagree with what I said; he was basically leaving me, a loose cannon, a ticking time bomb, with a 12-year-old prodigy. I wonder if the Council ever considered what could go wrong with that.  


My dad patted me on the shoulder in reassurance, before walking towards the door. “I bid you good luck then. Have fun with your studies,” he said with a grin, as he left me standing in the office with my mouth half opened.  


Great, I thought. What a way to start off the school year.


	2. Hello?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophie finds Jenna and Archer and finally meets the new transfer. Lots of confusion and questions being thrown around.

"So, a new transfer in our class? Doesn't seem so bad," Jenna giggled as she looked at me with a grin. "In fact, having someone younger means that I won't be the youngest looking one in our year!" 

It was the first day of school, and I was able to find Jenna and Archer near the front of main entrance, talking about their summer break with each other. There were plenty of familiar faces, as well as a handful of new students moving their stuff in, and tearfully saying goodbye to their parents. Looking at them reminded me of when I first came here with my mom. 

I ended up telling Archer and Jenna about my new job with looking after the transfer student, but they seemed rather neutral, or even excited about it. 

"Am I the only one whose just a bit weirded out by the age difference? I feel old just thinking about it," I asked, still looking at the profile my dad gave me. The folder I got turned out to have only 2-3 sheets on the new transfer, but didn't have a lot of information to go off of. The only information I had that seemed important was: 

Name: Perseus Heaven 

Age: 12 

Hair colour: Blond 

Eye colour: Green 

Gender: Male 

Hobbies/interests: cooking, reading

"Gotta agree with Jenna, doesn't seem hard if the kid's a prodigy," Archer said shrugging. "Worst thing that could happen is that he turns out to be a spoiled brat, kind of like you in first year." He teased. 

"Hey, I was not a brat," I said, trying to lift one of my eyebrows up but failing to. I smirked. "Though you were pretty snarky when I first met you." 

Archer laughed. "I wasn't the one who used 'bad dog' as a battle cry." Jenna giggled while I flushed with embarrassment at the memory. 

"You guys are never going to let me live this down, are you?" I said, as my boyfriend and best friend both laughed. "Couldn't you guys remember any of the good things I did that weren't embarassing?" But I was also grinning now.

"Speaking of which, where are you supposed to meet the transfer?" Archer asked, observing some of the first years moving their stuff into the dorms. "You said your dad wanted you to show him around, right?" 

"Yeah, but my dad also forgot to give me any way to contact the transfer student, so I got to find him myself," I said, scanning my surroundings with a sigh. "Seriously, my dad left me with little information or help to go off of." 

I hope he didn't get lost, cause that would make things ten times more complicated for me if I had to resort to using my magic to find him. I wanted to avoid using my magic as much as possible, to avoid embarassing myself in front of the first years, including my new assignment. 

I still can't find him; looks like I got to find him the normal way. I'm already doing a bad job at helping out the new transfer, I inwardly sighed. But before I moved, I felt a hand tap me on the shoulder. 

"Um, are you Sophia Mercer?" A timid voice asked. Startled, I turned around to see the new transfer student looking up at me with bright green eyes. He was wearing the school uniform, and had a large suitcase in tow.

"Yeah, but you can call me Sophie," I said with a smile. Now looking at the kid in person, the profile picture did not do him justice at all. The boy I was looking at was basically shining with youth (which made me feel even older) and his smile was warm and cheerful, though a bit nervous. 

"It's nice to meet you," the boy said, looking down at his shoes nervously. "I'm Perseus Heaven, but everyone calls me Percy." Jenna cooed at Percy's introduction. 

Jenna quickly elbowed me teasingly. "Aren't you gonna introduce us Sophie?" I laughed and then turned to Percy, who was still looking at his shoes. "Nice to meet you Percy. Um, this is my best friend Jenna Talbot and my boyfriend Archer Cross. And, um, you don't have to keep looking at your shoes or anything." I finished lamely, awkwardly rubbing the back of my neck. I could already feel my face burning with embarrassment at my bad introduction.

Archer snickered at me and kissed me quickly on the forehead. "Great introduction there Mercer." 

Ignoring my indignant protests, he gave a smile towards Percy, who finally looked up from his staring contest with the ground. "Hey Percy, welcome to Hex Hall." 

Percy tilted his head in confusion. "I-is that a nickname? For the school?" He asked, before suddenly flinching and immediately went back to staring at the ground. Jenna, Archer and I exchanged bewildered looks, both at his question and at his sudden interest with the ground. 

"Ah, yeah, it is. Most of us call it Hex Hall rather than Hecate here, you'll get use to it." Archer said sheepishly, while I snickered at Archer's flustered expression. 

It was then I noticed that most of the students, first years, and sophomores looking at us questionably. What are they looking at? I realized that they were looking at Percy interacting with me. 

"Is that the new transfer? I heard he's advanced in magic or something?" 

"I heard his family bribed the Council to be here or something, there's no way some bratty kid could be that smart." 

"Really? Why is he with the Head of the Council? Maybe he did something so bad she has to keep an eye on him." 

"Seriously? You think Sophie is forced to babysit some spoiled kid? Geez." 

I flinched at the harsh whispers; damn, is that what people thought of Percy? He hasn't even stepped into the school yet, so what's with all these rumors? Sure, I was forced to show Percy around, but I'm not his babysitter or anything. I figured then this is why Percy kept being so interested in looking at the ground. 

It reminded me of the way I felt when Elodie and her friends would pick on Jenna, or openly insult her with rumours. Judging by the way Jenna stiffened beside me and Archer's frown, they much have also heard the whispers. Seriously, who wouldn't at this point? 

Restraining myself from telling people to shut up, I walked over to Percy and grabbed the handle of his suitcase. 

Percy startled before trying to protest. "Ah, Ms. Mercer, you don't have to do that! I'm fine carrying my stuff!" 

I straightened and looked him in the eye. "I told you to call me Sophie; I'll feel old if you call me Ms. Mercer or Sophia. Besides, I want to you to feel welcomed here, so allow me. I got to show you the rest of the school before classes start tomorrow anyways, so let's go!" I said in the most cheerful voice I could muster. No way was I gonna let these guys continue with these rumours, but right now I wanted to keep Percy away from them before he hears anything else. 

"Um, oh, o-okay," Percy said softly, finally looking up to look at me. "Thank you very much." I gave a grin followed by a thumbs up to Archer and Jenna, who both returned it with smiles. Well, at least the depressing atmosphere was gone. 

"You guys gonna help us?" I asked, waving at them. "Friendship and boyfriend code." Archer chuckled while Jenna snorted at the comment and both made their way over to me and Percy. 

As Jenna and Archer helped me with Percy's things, I eventually forgot about my original thoughts of Percy; he seemed genuinely nice and not stuck up. Though, I still wondered about how those rumours formed, especially so soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder, I do not own any of the characters of Hex Hall; credit of the Hex Hall universe is towards Rachel Hawkins (love her series!) 
> 
> Only character I own/have created is Percy Heaven.


	3. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Student Interactions; Sophie shows Percy around the school and things seem to be looking well...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for not posting for awhile, if there's anyone reading this story at this point. I was working and doing other life stuff. Anyways, here's chapter 3! The next chapter will likely be in another two weeks (sorry >.<). Enjoy! Once again, I don't own any characters or the world of Hex Hall (belongs all to Rachel Hawkins); Percy is my own character though!

After lugging Percy's stuff inside, we made our way towards his room where he would be staying for the next couple of years. On the way, I tried to explain how the school worked, with as less stuttering as I could. 

The boys and girls' dorms were separated by floors; boys on the second and the girls on the third floor. Classes were held on the first floor. Washros on your right, office on the left, etc. 

Luckily, Percy already had his dorm keys with him, so it saved us the trip of going to the office to pick them up. Percy put the key back into his pocket as he carefully pushed opened the door to his room. He hesitated. 

I sighed inwardly, feeling tired about carrying his stuff (even though I insisted it was my job when Percy protested), but gave a smile while gesturing to the door. "It's your room, you know. No need for an invite, just go in."

Percy nodded and quickly walked in, as Archer and I lugged Percy's things into the room as well. The boys' dorms looked exactly like the girls'; two twin sized beds, two closets and two desks, since most of the dorms were meant to house two people, given the space. Still, the furniture was pretty old; guess even after all the stuff that's happened the past 2-3 years (including demon making/summoning), buying new furniture for the students wasn't top priority for the current council.

Archer coughed, interrupting my thoughts; I realised we had moved all of Percy's stuff into his room, but we were all still awkwardly standing here. Percy shifted uncomfortably, looking nervous again. 

"Uh, so do you want a tour of the school? Good old fashioned red carpet welcome to the place you'll be for the next couple of years?" I said without thinking, then silently cursed myself. Whoops, guess I laid the sarcasm on too thick. 

Jenna looked like she was trying hard not to laugh, while Archer just raised an eyebrow at me. Geez, thanks for the help, I thought, before turning to look at Percy. Percy blinked, and I noticed how bright his eyes were. 

Green, I mused. Like emeralds, or...grass. Percy looked at me but didn't say anything. His eyes seem to almost glow; nevermind, comparing his eyes to dirt was an insult, definitely emeralds. 

"Emeralds?" Percy asked, looking surprised. I stuttered, already feeling my face burning from embarrassment. It was probably red at this point. Great, I said that out loud. Probably thinks I'm a complete weirdo; awesome first impression Sophie. From some reason, I really wanted Percy to feel comfortable around us. 

"Uh, your eyes are a nice shade of green," I managed to get out, breaking eye contact with Percy. Archer and Jenna at this point were just snickering at my embarrassing cover up. Closing my eyes to and silently wishing for the ground to swallow me up, I continued anyways. "I just noticed they were like emeralds. Really green. Yeah." 

Jenna let out a strange noise, bordering on a pig or hedgehog choking. I opened my eyes, still facing Percy and it was my turn to be surprised. 

Percy was covering his face and his ears were red. When he spoke, he sounded flustered, voice muffled. "T-thank you, um no one's really said anything like that before." 

I gaped, finding this situation confusing. Percy looked like a cute little brother, straight out of a novel or something, cause the look he was wearing as he removed his hands from his face was adorable, and I wasn't the best person who got along with kids. I exchanged a glance with Jenna, who had the same shocked and confused look as me. She also thought Perch was cute though, by the way she muttered "damn, so freaking cute" under her breath.

I looked Archer, who was also gaping, before noticing me staring at him with amusement. Guess my boyfriend isn't immune to Percy's charm either. Archer coughed, looking uncomfortable. It was my turn to snicker. 

"Anyways, still up for a tour?" I asked Percy. "If you're too tired we can just do it later." 

Percy looked thoughtful for a moment. He shuffled his feet a but before looking back at me. "I think I might rest for awhile," he said softly, looking around at his stuff. "It's not that I don't enjoy spending time with you, I think I should unpack some stuff and contact my aunt before dinner and curfew." He added quickly fiddling with his hands. 

"Dinner?" I asked dumbly, before checking my watch. It was past five. Dinner is at six. Dammit Sophie, you've spent at least five hours moving Percy's stuff to his room and didn't get anything else done. 

"Oh yeah, dinner," I said nodding. "Okay, we'll leave you to get settled and we can meet up at the dining hall around six, if that's cool with you. Um, do you remember the way to the dining hall?" 

Percy nodded. "It's on the first floor, right?" He asked looking at Archer and Jenna uncertainly. 

Jenna smiled. "Yep! It's the large room with all the mismatched tables and chairs. We passed it on the way here." She said. "If you want, maybe Archer could lead you there beforehand, since girls usually aren't allowed on this floor." 

So, we all ended up agreeing that Archer would pick Percy up from his room and they would meet Jenna and I at the dining hall, at our usual table. We stepped out of Percy's room to give him time to unpack. 

"Thanks Sophie for your help," Perch said with a smile. "I really appreciate it. I hope I didn't trouble you today." I give a small smile back. "It's fine, no trouble at all. See you soon Percy."

Percy nodded happily before closing the door as Jenna, Archer and I left. 

"Well, I guess that went well?" I asked looking at Jenna and Archer. Both grinned at me. 

"Well, you didn't completely embarrass yourself if that's what you mean,"Archer teased, giving me a lopsided grin. "It was cute how you just told the transfer student how green his eyes were." 

"Okay, I want both of you guys to burn that conversation from your minds now," I huffed with indignation. "Besides, you guys agree it's true." 

Jenna looked thoughtful. "Yeah, Percy's eyes were pretty to look at. But I wonder why he looked shocked when you said that. I mean, wouldn't most people notice his eyes?" 

As Jenna pointed it out, I realized that it was weird when Percy said I was the first to compliment his eyes. I brushed it off again; I probably phrased it weirdly, there was no way I could have been the first person to say something about his eyes. They were pretty noticeable. 

What I didn't realize then was how I shouldn't really brush half of the things off about Percy.


	4. Rumors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fresh Start at Hecate Hall for Sophie and her friends. Well, if murder is a good way of starting off the semester counts as "fresh".

The dining hall was unusually crowded, likely due to the large buffet the school always has as a welcome for freshman. Since there was so much food, the place was basically teeming with new freshmen, talking in large groups. 

Jenna and I were sitting at our usual small table, lunch trays stacked high with delicious food; the smell of steak was tempting me to just dig in already, but I had other things on my mind besides the food.

"Sophie, he was so cute! His reaction to your comment was so adorable," Jenna grinned excitedly. "Kind of feel bad that we thought he would be spoiled or bratty."

"I never said that he was bratty before," I responded, my eyes scanning the cafeteria for what seemed like the tenth time. "It was Archer's words; besides, Percy obviously proved us wrong with his pure, 'hey I'm not a spoiled brat' aura...I wonder what's taking both of them so long though."

After we left Percy to unpack, Archer said he was going to take a shower and agreed to meet us at the cafeteria. Given it's been almost an hour since he left, all I can wonder is how much does he have to scrub before getting out of the shower.

"Archer's probably just taking his sweet time showering," I mused, taping my foot impatiently. "But I'm worried about Percy getting lost." Or possibly being stampeded by a bunch of other freshmen, since he's the smallest kid here, I silently added.

"I'm sure Percy will be fine, you already gave him directions. The cafeteria is also one of the biggest areas in the school, so it would be kind of hard to miss." Jenna reassured, taking a sip of what I hope is just red fruit punch. "But there's bigger news to discuss."

I raised my eyebrows (still can't raise just one) questioningly. "Like what? Are you thinking of dying my hair again? I already told you I don't want to after ending up with vomit coloured hair for two weeks."

Jenna grinned sheepishly. "You still rocked it though. But no, I'm taking about the London murder cases. Didn't your dad tell you?"

"Not really. My dad's been too busy doing paperwork and making sure I don't blow up the school before I graduate," I snorted, but what Jenna said did catch me off guard. "Murders? Okay, spill the details."

Jenna looked around, before leaning in and lowering her voice so no one else would hear. "There's been a bunch of murders in London for the past month or two; all the victims were prodigium, mainly warlocks and witches." Jenna shuddered at her own words. 

"Scary thing is that all the murders seemed to happen the same way or something." She continued. "No one knows for sure, but some higher class prodigium are saying stuff like-"

"What are you guys talking about here?" Archer's voice interrupted the tense moment, startling both me and Jenna, causing us to almost bump heads. We both glared at Archer, who placed his tray down and raised his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, just curious. If it's gossip and stuff, you don't have to tell me."

"The London murders case? Oh yeah, it's been a big problem for the Council," Archer mused, after Jenna updated him on our conversation. "There were rumors that the victims were all killed in a ritual circle of some sort; all of the murder scenes had the same words written in the victim's blood."

"Wait, hold up," I said, trying to process the information. "You're saying that there's a serial killer going around and murdering warlocks and witches for the last two months? What exactly is taking the Council so long to find the killer?" More like why didn't my dad tell me anything about it, Sophie. Guess our father-daughter bonding time hadn't improved our ability to be honest with each other.

"For some reason, the investigation was put on hold," Jenna piqued up, wringing her hands nervously. "No one knows why, but people think it's most likely since the Council still hasn't...recovered from what happened last time." We all knew Jenna meant the incident with the Casnoffs; it was something we silently agreed to never talk about again, especially after what happened with...Cal.

I felt my throat close up when I thought of Cal. It was my fault he ended up giving his life for mine. I still had nightmares, remembering his expression as he fell into the pit, reassuring me that it was alright. I knew that he didn't want me to feel responsible for his death, but everytime I saw his ghost around the school, I usually wonder if I could of done anything differently to save him.

Archer reached out and squeezed my hand. I squeezed his hand, grateful for the comforting gesture. "So, moving on from less depressing news, where is the new kid? I thought he was going to meet us here too." Archer asked, switching topics casually.

"I was actually going to ask if you've seen him," I answered with a frown. "I think I better look for him, he might of gotten lost or something."

I got up, swiping a cookie off my tray and turned towards the cafeteria entrance. "If I don't come back for awhile, you guys don't have to wait up."

"Sure, see you later Mercer," Archer said with a smirk. "Hope you don't mind if I end up eating your share." He then pulled my tray towards him, causing me to roll my eyes. "Haha, enjoy." Jenna waved cheerfully.

With that, I turned and left the cafeteria, making my way through the long hallways of the school. Now, where did Percy go? I decided to go check the washroom and other areas of the school that I showed Percy during his move in. He probably just took a wrong turn or something.

I started with wandering up to the second floor, to see if Percy was still in his room. Technically I wasn't allowed on the boy's dormitory, but it made more sense to check there first. Also, I had no idea where else Percy could of gone.

Once I got to Percy's room, I knocked on his door. "Hey Percy, you in there? It's time for dinner, in case you...forgot," I said, awkwardly clearing my throat. There was no response. Hesitating for a moment, I knocked again. Still no response.

Okay, where to look now. Sighing, I turned around and began making my way back to the first floor; maybe he was able to find the cafeteria after all. Suddenly, I felt a hand tap my shoulder.

What happened next will seem completely unreasonable to any normal person, but for someone who went through Hell and back, I was already a ticking time bomb, ready to explode on anyone. Being approached from behind while it was dark out, even at school, was enough to trigger any basic survival instinct.

Whipping around, I shoved the hand away roughly and quickly casted an attack spell at the figure. The figure immediately threw out a protection spell, causing sparks to fly off as our spells clashed. The figure stumbled, rising their hands to their face.

I raised my hand, about to throw out another spell (likely a spell to make the person go temporarily blind or something) before the figure cowered away from me. I cautiously approached the figure, hands raised, before I took a closer look at the person's face and jumped back in shock.

Percy was sitting on the ground, hands trembling as he raised his hands up to cover his face. "Please don't hurt me, I didn't mean to sneak up on you..."

"Oh man, I'm sorry Percy! I didn't mean to attack you, I kind of went off cause, cause..." I stuttered in embarrassment and shock at what I did. I put out my hand to help him up, but Percy flinched, and continued to hide behind his hands; this made me feel even worst.

"Look, I'm- I'm really sorry for what I did Percy," I tried again, hoping my words came out without any stutter. "I, well, I just went through a bad year or two, so I got distracted. I would never actually attack you, I went to look for you cause I thought you got lost earlier...er, wait, I should also make sure you aren't hurt..." My thoughts at this point were messed up; it sounds like a poorly put together excuse; how do I apologize for almost taking out the new kid? Hey, sorry I almost tried blowing your head off?

I was still lost in my thoughts when I felt Percy's hand hesitantly take mine. Startled out of my thoughts, I looked down at him. Percy gave a small smile.

"It's fine Sophie, I know you didn't mean it," Percy said softly, avoiding direct eye contact with me. "I should have came earlier so you wouldn't have to look for me."

"Guess this is our little secret then, huh?" I asked, thinking about how Jenna and Archer would react to this; or worst, my dad finds out. Yeah, definitely not telling them; they would probably think I'm crazy, and dad would probably sign me up for therapy sessions.

Percy nodded, still holding me hand. "Sure, I don't mind. Um, is it too late for dinner? I could just go back to my room, but I feel bad since you came all the way here..."

I checked the time; there was still about an hour left before dinner ended and the first year's orientation would begin (i.e. scaring the pants off them by showing them a graphic documentary on how we're basically hunted). Honestly, I didn't want Percy to see the video, but the Council still believes it's important to convince most Prodigium to remain hidden in the human world, and adapt. In a way, a reality check.

"Yeah, we still have time, so if we hurry, we can get you some food," I answered giving a thumbs up. "Let's go."

Percy nodded, looking a bit happier than before. "Okay, thanks again Sophie." We began to make our way down the hallway towards the first floor.

Haha, how cute.

I whipped my head back, almost snapping my neck (but I could less now) to look back at the dark hallway. There was no one there.

"Sophie?" Percy's voice brought me back. I turned towards him with a slightly forced smile and waved my free hand in a joking manner. "I'm fine, just heard the wind outside, haha." We continued down the stairs, not looking back.

Although Percy didn't seem to hear it, the mocking voice that echoed from behind us was jarring...and left me with a cold feeling. At the moment, it felt like someone was watching us...all the way to the cafeteria, before its eerie presence completely vanished.


	5. Nightly Stroll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weird things keep happening to Sophie, just when she thought she could get a break.

After making our way back to the cafeteria, Percy and I started talking more with each other; he seemed less shy than before when it came to conversation, not that I was complaining too much.

"So, what's it like being super smart? Can you recite super powerful spells or memorize ancient languages?" I was actually curious about how geniuses thought. Then again, most stereotypes of geniuses that came to mind always were stuck up or downright weird. However, Percy seemed like any normal student here, except for his age.

"Um, well it doesn't feel different or anything," Percy said, laughing softly. "I just understand things quicker at my age. Do most people see me like that?"

"To be honest, I have no clue," I said, with a sideways glance at him. "But I do know what it's like to be stared at as the new kid."

Percy didn't say anything for awhile, causing me to again look at him. He seemed thoughtful for a moment before answering.

"Was it difficult?" Percy asked quietly. I blinked, unsure of what he meant. Our footsteps were the only sounds on the empty hallway.

"Difficult as in?"

"With fitting in...and making friends," Percy clarified, looking down at his feet. "Everyone likes you Sophie and they even admire you; it's like you're surrounded by a powerful aura."

It took a lot of effort for me to hold back my laugh. However, Percy's voice sounded solemn, and when I looked towards him again, his green eyes seemed to almost glow, as though he was trying to read my thoughts. 

"Well, technically I had a pretty f*cked- er, I mean crappy start here," I admitted, trying to keep my words PG friendly. "If I haven't become close with Jenna and Archer, then I wouldn't have wanted to come back." I mean, whose friends would be willing to go to a prodigium night club past curfew or take a trip down Hell with me? I thought to myself in amusement.

"I'm sure you will meet people who will stick to you soon," I said with a grin. "Just try talking to someone first."

Percy smiled in return. "Thanks Sophie... I'll keep that in mind."

It was then I was beginning to feel something weird. The hallway Percy and I were going down was...too long. We should of reached the dining hall in less than 10 minutes. I checked my phone; it had been almost half of hour since I met up with Percy.

I tensed, feeling a shiver go down my spine at the realization. Someone was screwing with us, and somehow isolated me and Percy in some warped time zone or something.

"Sophie, is everything alright?" Percy asked, when we came to a stop. Yep, the hallway was definitely getting longer, or more likely, we were stuck somewhere else.

"Oh, probably just some prank," I said, faking a laugh. "Someone seems to be using magic, that's all." Percy stiffened at the word 'magic'.

Oops, did I scare him or something? I reached my hand put towards Percy. "It should be nothing, sorry if I scared you."

But Percy pulled away from me, head down and, taking a couple of steps back, had his hands clasped tightly together. He definitely seemed scared, way to go Sophie.

"Percy, there's nothing to be scared of," I assured him, raising my outstretched hand to him. "Let's try getting out of here; it will be safer."

However, Percy made no move to take my hand, and instead shook his head. He looked up this time and he didn't seemed scared, but more worried.

"Sophie, you have to run," Percy said softly. "It's too dangerous here."

I didn't know what to say. Of course I knew it was dangerous, but why did Percy sound guilty? His voice was trembling as he said those words.

"Percy, I'm not leaving you here alone, you're coming with me," I said, trying not to sound panicked. "Look, we can get out of here together, wherever we are now, faster if we work together."

I began to take another step closer when something slammed into me violently. The figure seemed to be a person, but they felt cold as ice as it made contact with my body. 

I was unable to cast any spell at the moment, the impact knocking the wind out of my lungs, along with a painful throbbing in my side; definitely felt like I broke something. Feeling dizzy, I felt myself lose balance and fall forward, blackness creeping at the edges of my vision. I hear Percy calling my name in distress, the sound of his footsteps coming closer.

I blinked, dark spots dancing in front of my eyes. The figure that collided with me was looking at me; all I could make out though were its eyes, slitted like a cat's eyes, except for its glowing purple pupils that seemed to be examining me as prey. 

Whatever this thing was, it didn't seem friendly; the magic I felt from it left a chill down my spine (which I hoped wasn't broken given the violent tackle I just got); this magic felt like it was pressing down on my throat, suffocating me. I struggled to call out to Percy, and to tell him to run and get help. My voice didn't seem to work though; I felt paralyzed in both fear and pain. I tried again, with the same result. I gritted my teeth in frustration and began to panic, seeing as the figure began to turn towards Percy with a menacing aura, its magic once again surrounding me with the same cold, choking feeling. What exactly was this thing?

Pain began to cloud my thoughts agajn, as my vision dimmed further. Percy's cries were becoming more distant. Damn it, was my last thought, followed by the sound of shattering glass, before I drifted off into unconsciousness.


	6. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophie finds she is right in the middle of a big problem, and learns more about the new transfer. A new enemy is also lurking around, but for what?

When you're on the verge of death, most people would of expected ending up in some sort of limbo, where your dead relatives or friends would then chat with you. About, you know, how it wasn't your time to die, there was still stuff you had to do, etc. That's how I sort of expected this to go as well. 

However, that didn't happen for me. Instead, I found myself regaining consciousness, and feeling like I got run over by a truck.

"Sophie! Sophie, can you hear me? Sophie!" My dad's voice was the first thing I heard as I forced my eyes open. My dad's concerned face swam into view, my eyesight blurry and my head feeling disoriented.

I groaned, blinking against the lights hanging overhead. Everything was too bright. I heard my dad calling for someone that I was awake, and next thing I knew, a woman in a white coat approached me. A doctor. Man, was I in worst shape than I thought? Then again, it made sense since I felt like my entire body was in pain right now.

I tried to collect my thoughts as the doctor began looking me over. That's right, I was walking down the hallway with Perch and then we were attacked by some freaky ghosty cat eyes monster.

Percy. As soon his name popped up, I jerked upwards into a sitting position, startling the doctor. Where was he?

"Sophie, what are you doing? You have to lie down, you're hurt!" I turned to see my mom hurrying towards me, and pushing me down so I was lying back in bed. It took me awhile to realize that I was back in me and Jenna's dorm room.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" I asked attempting to get up again. This time, it was my mom, dad and the doctor who pushed me back down together. I grunted, as I felt pain near my rib cage.

"Well, I feel like crap," I groaned, resigning myself to lying on my back. "Haven't felt like this since a year or two ago."

My dad pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Three fractured ribs and a dislocated leg. When we found you, you were barely breathing. You should be glad the barrier trapping you was quickly dispersed or you wouldn't be alive right now."

I blanched. Damn, sounded worst coming from my dad with his monotone diagnosis. But, I could also tell there was concern laced along with it. My mom gently touched my arm as comfort; I wasn't sure if it was to reassure me or herself the fact that I was alive (and in pain).

"Wait, how about Percy? Is he hurt?" I asked, my memories slowly snapping back into focus. Percy had been with me as well; the thought of him getting hurt made me feel sick. I didn't already get him killed, did I? 

Mom looked at me, and then gave a tired smile. "I guess if you're busy worrying about others you're already feeling better," she said. "I believe your Father knows more about his condition, I hope."

My dad coughed uncomfortably before answering. "Percy is fine, he's just shaken up from the situation. If anything, he's also deeply concerned about your health." I sighed in relief before wincing in pain. Man, it was hard to properly breathe right now. At least Percy was safe, though I was pretty sure that the kid was going to have nightmares about this. I could still remember those glowing eyes glaring at me right before I passed out. Whatever that thing was, it definitely did not come just to welcome me back to a new school year.

Another nurse walked in then, checking over me before turning to my parents. "Excuse me, but there's some visitors that claim to be Ms. Mercer's friends-"

"Send them in," I said, before anyone could intervene. The nurse looked looked at me, annoyed that I interrupted her, but I could care less. I really needed some other people to talk to. I knew if I didn't say anything, my parents would insist I get more rest, which I have been doing the last couple of hours.

My parents looked at each other, holding some telepathic parent conversation. My dad waved his hand. "It's fine with us, some visitors won't do any harm." I tried not to laugh at my dad's serious tone he used to address the nurse. The nurse nodded and stalked out, probably to let the 'visitors' in.

A few moments later, a streak of pink hair flashed through the doorway, as Jenna ran over to my bedside. "What the hell is with you and almost dying?" She demanded. I could see she was trying to look mad, but also looking relieved to see me alive. Archer was right behind her, crossing his arms and frowning as well.

"She has a point, you really do end up in some dark, messed up situations," he said, reaching out and taking my hand. I gave a sheepish grin, before I heard my dad clear his throat from my other side. Archer hesitantly started to pull his hand away, before I grabbed it again. I gave a look to my dad. Really? We're doing this protective father thing after everything that went down the last couple of years? My dad just pinched his nose in exasperation.

"Hey, it's not like I asked to be bowled down in the middle of a hallway," I said, frowning. "Though..." I stopped. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to mention the strange feeling I got before the attack, when I dropped by Percy's room. If anything, it could have been my own paranoia, like how I mistook Percy as an attacker.

"Sophie, I know that look on your face," My mom said, placing her hand on my shoulder softly. "If you have something to say, or knew something before you were attacked, you should tell us." Jenna and Archer gave looks of approval at her statement. Even my dad was looking at me expectantly.

I groaned. "Okay, but let me get everything out before you guys start panicking." So, I ended up telling them everything from the beginning, about meeting Percy, the rumors, the strange feeling I had, and what happened before and during the encounter. I tried to be vague on the details involving Percy, since it felt wrong to talk about him when he wasn't here. After I finished, my mom gave me a hug.

"Thanks for telling us Sophie," she said. "That must have been hard for you, especially since it's the beginning of the school year."

"Well, I'm used to it at this point, aren't I?" I answered with a shrug, then winced again. Damn, I really did a number on myself. I looked at my dad this time, though, since I knew he definitely was hiding something from me. Something that had to do with Percy.

"Okay, so I think now's the time to spill," I said, looking at my dad; my dad averted his eyes from my glare. "You haven't told me the full story with Percy; I think since our lives are involved, you should clear some things up."

Everyone else looked confused, but my eyes never left my dad's face. "You said Percy was a transfer student and a child prodigy, but there's something else, isn't there? There's been some insane rumors going around about him, and for some reason, I think that thing that attacked us was really after Percy." The feeling I had at Percy's room, those glowing eyes, the outreaching claws; even though I was the one attacked, I didn't feel like it was after me specifically. Rather, the eyes I saw...after running through the events again, I realized ..... Those eyes were looking past me, at something else behind me. At Percy. My gut was telling me that there was something I was missing though, that would make these facts fit together perfectly, however. I had a feeling...my dad knew something else.

My dad looked at me, a reluctant expression on his face. A face that was torn between two decisions. He ran a hand over his face and gave a sigh. "Perhaps, I should be honest about the details. If you had died back there, I would have blamed myself for not telling you in the first place." My mom stood up, looking dismayed at dad's words.

"James, what was so important that you felt the need to hide it, despite knowing it places my daughter at risk?" Mom's voice was quiet, but her face was livid. "You said that there would be no more secrets between us if it involved Sophie!" Her sentence ended in a shout. I haven't seen mom this mad before; her eyes were ablaze in anger. Jenna, Archer and I exchanged worried glances. It felt like stepping on a landmine. 

"Grace, I understand why you are mad, Sophie is our daughter, and I care about her safety as well-" dad's flustered ramble was cut off by mom's sharp quip. "I am starting to doubt that if you think keeping information that may put her in danger from us is called caring-" 

Before my mom could continue her furious rant on my dad, a soft voice drifted from the doorway. "Hello? Is Sophie here?"

**Author's Note:**

> Just wanted to say I do not own any of the characters of Hex Hall; credit of the whole Hex Hall universe is from Rachel Hawkins.
> 
> The only character that I own/created is Percy Heaven (I'll explain why his name is that eventually), who will be formally introduced in the next chapter. You will see more character development from Percy later on.
> 
> I'm really sorry for any grammar or formatting errors. I'm new to this site; let me know if there's anything I could do to fix, grammar- or format wise. Also, there's not going to be any explicit or inappropriate underage scenes or chapters in this story; I'm going for something more plot driven and less smut, I guess. Chapter one is a test run, which explains the pretty slow start. Hahaha, sorry about that!


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